Mobile and desktop devices often provide various map related functions, including map views and navigation capabilities. Within a map view of a map application executing on a mobile or desktop device, a user may prefer to see a representation of the surrounding environment in an aesthetically simple rendering. For example, as a user walks down a street referencing the map view provided by a mobile device, a user may find it easier to navigate if surrounding structures in the map view were stripped of unnecessary and distracting details, texture or other information that may not be related to navigation or identification of the structure. In some cases, the map view may be three-dimensional, and in such a case a map view that is a simplified version of the real world may allow a user to make quicker navigation decisions.